Victorino sits out for second time this week

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- John Farrell wrote Shane Victorino into his lineup for 45 straight games starting in late July, but the banged-up Victorino now has been out of the lineup in two of the last four games, a stretch that also included a day off f

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- John Farrell wrote Shane Victorino into his lineup for 45 straight games starting in late July, but the banged-up Victorino now has been out of the lineup in two of the last four games, a stretch that also included a day off for the team on Monday.

Perhaps more than any other Red Sox player, Victorino has played through a variety of bumps and bruises in the second half of this season. His lower back and his hamstrings have given him trouble throughout the season, and it doesn't appear they've gotten any better as he's continued to play.

Though Victorino has sat twice in the span of less than a week, Farrell said he doesn't want to ease off the throttle too much with his energetic right fielder.

"When we got into this month, we didn't want to take a different approach," the manager said. "There's still a lot of work left to be done and that's the mindset here. The one thing that we've done a little more regularly is rotate guys through so that they stay as fresh as possible, and today is another example of that."